The Sun at Night

37%
Game Brain Score Based on 37 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
The Sun at Night Game Cover
The Sun at Night is the weirdest bit of alt history I've ever played
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Explore, blast, and shield your way through massive branching levels as Laika the space dog. This 2D adventure features customized gameplay and an incredibly deep narrative.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

37%
Audience ScoreBased on 37 reviews
story5 positive mentions
gameplay4 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique and intriguing story set in an alternate history with a lovable main character, Laika, the cybernetic dog.
  • The upgrade system allows for character customization and progression, enhancing the gameplay experience.
  • The pixel art and overall presentation have charm, with some players enjoying the exploration and secrets within the large levels.
  • The map system is overly complicated and difficult to navigate, leading to confusion and frustration during gameplay.
  • Gameplay feels unpolished and lacks variety, with repetitive quests and combat mechanics that do not engage players.
  • The dialogue and text-heavy storytelling can be overwhelming, detracting from the overall experience and making it hard to follow the plot.
  • story43 mentions

    The game's story is described as engaging yet convoluted, with major plot elements conveyed through brief chat windows and a plethora of minor quests that often feel like busy work. While some players appreciate the intriguing sci-fi themes and world-building through scattered notes, many find the narrative disjointed and the gameplay repetitive, leading to a lack of motivation to progress. Overall, the story has potential but is hampered by poor pacing and unclear objectives, leaving players wanting more coherence and direction.

    • “The plot unfolds across a wealth of sprawling, open levels comprised of dozens if not hundreds of interconnected halls and rooms each.”
    • “Many of your interactions and discoveries will give you quests that are tracked on your map and advance the branches of the story, unlock new abilities, or provide other bonuses worth chasing.”
    • “There are many small notes scattered around the levels for you to find and read if you want; these help fill out the story and build up the world narrative, making it feel more alive.”
    • “Major plot elements are told in tiny two-line chat windows and interspersed with a large number of minor quests that feel like busy work.”
    • “While the story is okay, the slog to get through it simply isn't worth the time.”
    • “There are just way too many concepts and plot threads flying around, and the longer the game goes on, the more confusing it gets.”
  • gameplay15 mentions

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the core mechanics and sense of progression, while others criticize the rough implementation, complicated navigation, and repetitive elements. Many find the controls easy to use, but the overall experience is marred by poor design choices, lack of variety, and unpolished mechanics, leading to a gameplay experience that feels both simplistic and unengaging.

    • “I found the gameplay and controls easy and had no fault with it.”
    • “It gave me a good sense of progression, and significantly altered some of the gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay itself is great.”
    • “The setting and core gameplay choices are sound, but the implementation is rough at all the corners.”
    • “The map system is incredibly complicated to navigate, many design choices are inconsistent (everything in-game is cartoon-like, but the map is 3D and the upgrade system is future-tech?), and the gameplay just isn't interesting enough to draw the player in.”
    • “Needlessly complicated, nigh-incomprehensible maps and menu interfaces, many poor design decisions causing various problems with the control system, boring, excessively large maps, through which you are expected to backtrack and slog through several times, simplistic, unpolished gameplay mechanics, lack of variety in enemies and combat...”
  • graphics9 mentions

    The graphics in the game are generally described as simple and inconsistent, with some users noting that while they serve their purpose, they lack remarkable aesthetics. There are mixed opinions on the quality of sprite animations, with some characters looking dated, while others appreciate the unique art style. Overall, the visuals do not stand out significantly but are not considered game-breaking.

    • “The graphics are great looking and the concept is good.”
    • “Has a unique graphic style I have not seen before.”
    • “The graphics are simple but get the job done, and I literally can't remember anything about the sound design even though I just played it an hour ago, so don't expect anything remarkable from the aesthetics, either.”
    • “Inconsistent graphic choices, but nothing game-breaking.”
    • “The sprite animations on every character that isn't Laika are terrible and would be dated for a game released 20 years ago (think less pixelated Ultima graphics).”
  • music9 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it monotonous and reminiscent of stock effects, while others praise its nostalgic, modernized chiptune style and overall sound design. A few reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, noting its potential to enhance the gaming experience, despite some underlying issues. Overall, opinions vary from mediocre to fantastic, with a notable mention that the soundtrack is available for purchase.

    • “The music was pretty good, though!”
    • “Music and sound are just fantastic and really hit home.”
    • “The sound isn't much better, with stock effects for most sounds, and boring chiptune-esque music on constant loop in an area.”
    • “Mediocre soundtrack, which I hate.”
    • “It was very game-y, like taking old Mega Man style music and giving it a slightly more modern sound.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

63% average critic score

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